s forecast to what Peter would have chosen for
himself! What a contrast between that yielding to the will of another,
and that impetuous nature which so constantly betrayed itself! Take,
for instance, the occasions that are offered in this chapter. As soon
as he hears John's suggestion that the Lord is standing on the beach,
he lets go the fish that he had spent all night to catch, the nets
which it cost hours to make, the boat which was probably his own
property, binds his fisher's coat about him, plunges into the water,
and never rests till he has cast himself at his Master's feet. As soon
as the Lord expresses His desire to mingle some of the recent haul with
His own preparations for breakfast, he springs up, hastens to the
margin of the sea, drags the net to land, counts its contents, and
brings specimens to the little group gathered about the Master. Every
movement so quick and energetic! To wish, is to act! To desire a
thing, to do it! He makes us think of young manhood in all its
vigorous, nervous life.

The Lord did not damp or repress His fervid disciple. He looked on
him, to borrow the thought of another, with tender pity; as a parent,
who has passed through many of the world's darkest places, beholds the
child who is speaking of what he expects life to bring. Fresh from His
own agony, the Lord knew how different a temper that would be which had
been induced by prolonged suffering and patience: and He knew how
necessary it was that that temper should be induced in His beloved
disciple, so that he might become a pillar in His Church, and the
tender sympathetic writer of that First Epistle, which is so saturated
with a spirit of tender patience and sympathy for all who suffer.

Having uttered these cautionary words our Lord seems to have moved
away, bidding Peter follow--a mandate which was intended to carry a
deeper meaning. John followed them some few steps in the rear.
Hearing footsteps, Peter turned and saw him, and with a touch of
unworthy curiosity, hardly compatible with the seriousness of the
statement Jesus had just made, said, "Lord, and what shall this man do?"

The question was objectionable. It savored too much of Peter's old,
hasty, forward self. The Lord would not become a mere fortune-teller
to gratify his inquisitiveness. He put a check, therefore, on the
unbefitting inquiry, and yet, in rebuking, answered it: "If I will
that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow th